Yesterday morning as I was eating breakfast, I looked out the window and thought I noticed a new ceramic pet on the balcony. I thought I had seen before a bronze-colored turtle on the balcony in days previous, some garden-art amongst Mme C's various plants, but I could have sworn it had been facing to the left. I peeked around the corner of the window and saw him now facing another turtle, a ceramic yellow one, that I had never seen before. I watched them peacefully enjoying the morning sun as I finished my breakfast and thought no more of them for the rest of the day.
That night, Mme. C asked me if I had noticed the addition to her collection of outdoor pets, which I said I had. She told me that she had found her the night before outside on the curb by someone's garbage and decided to bring her home for a second chance at life. I'm glad she has a companion on the balcony, or else I would imagine it to be quite lonely.
I received a very exciting email today from the folding bicycle company Bike Friday. Before leaving the US, I sent them a document offering to do some promotional work for them, advertising a new bicycle they just came out with, called the Tikit. They responded to me today saying they would be happy to let me use a Tikit during my stay in Paris and would ship a bike to me after receiving a timeline for the tasks I proposed to accomplish for them. Such tasks include making a brochure for the Tikit in French, visiting local bike shops and demonstrating how neat it is (it folds very quickly!), and talking to people on the street about it. I hope to hear back from them soon regarding details about the bike (slick tires or knobbier ones?) and to find out how soon it might arrive! Exciting!
Yesterday I took Mme C's bike out for a spin around town. It is a three speed Dutch cruiser that didn't like it's highest gear too much, but it got me to the Bois de Vincennes where I did some homework for a while. It was a beautiful day which attracted lots of people to the paths of the Bois and while trying to maneuver around everyone, I almost ran into a dog and several children. It is very frustrating trying to ride a bicycle on what is labeled to be a bike path when there are many non-bicyclists using it as well. I saw a cyclist who I had ridden with last Sunday riding around the bicycle track in the Bois and he stopped to say hello and we rode a slow lap around the track before departing. Slow in comparison to our previous speeds going around the track, but as fast as the cruiser wanted to go.
I had my first day of classes today and after Questions of Aesthetics, I was scared out of my mind for how difficult the following semester would be. I knew beforehand that it would be a very philosophical course regarding "What is Art?" and "When is Art?" but I realized that if I wanted to do well in all of my courses this semester, I couldn't dedicate enough time to that course itself. My next class, Architecture of Paris, turned out to be much less overwhelming and I think I will enjoy that course over the following weeks. Roughly every two weeks we will have an outing on a Friday morning when we will go and visit a building or area of Paris that we had been learning about. The teacher is very nice and likes drawing pictures on the chalkboard, but her handwriting is kind of difficult to read.
After that class I had a two-hour break during which I ate some lunch that I brought from home and wrote some emails (most importantly, one to Bike Friday regarding my timeline!). My last class of the day was also very interesting, Contemporary France, that will examine aspects of current French society such as the educational system, immigration, religion, Left vs. Right and how it differs from Democrat vs. Republican, etc. I am also very excited for this class and the teacher is younger than the rest of my teachers- she seems to try to relate to the students as much as she can without being too lenient.
I decided this afternoon, after having reflected upon how much homework I had already been assigned and having considered what I had just agreed to do for Bike Friday, that I would drop my Questions of Aesthetics class and might try to take it next semester if I have the time for it. I know it would be a very interesting class and I would learn a lot about different periods of French art, but I didn't want to be too stressed and overwhelmed, trying to balance all of my tasks but not having enough time to still enjoy being in Paris.
On a Metro note, I received my Carte Imagin'R today- a Metro pass that is good for the following year that is not a ticket you put into a machine like I had been used to, but is a card with a sensor in it that I wave over the turnstile and it lets me through! Very modern. I can also use this card to rent the citywide bicycles that are a new service to Paris, called Vélib. It's kind of a bummer that it arrived today because I had already bought my weekly ticket that is good until next Sunday, but at least I have it before having to buy more of those weekly tickets!
As much as I like taking the Metro around Paris, I can't wait until I can ride my Tikit around Paris instead of having to wait for the train.
C'est tout.
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